Ensure your excavations are inspected before entry
Did you know that OSHA requires employers to reinspect excavations after each rainstorm? The frightening reality of dirt work is how quickly things can go bad — especially during inclement weather. There’s a lot of guidance available about what to do or not to do.
Despite the many resources available to employers about excavation safety, many workers die in unstable trenches. “Sadly in 2022, we saw a dramatic and disturbing increase in the number of workers who died in trench collapses,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. “We know that awareness and vigilance saves lives...” Employers must emphasize inspecting excavations before having workers enter them.
When you put your worksite excavation plan together, do you cover these six safety requirements from OSHA Standard 1926.651, Specific excavation requirements? It discusses the requirements for:
- Access and egress,
- Emergency rescue,
- Dewatering your excavation,
- Stability and protection, and
- Inspection requirements.
1926, Subpart P, Excavations, have other OSHA safety requirements that must be included in your plan as they apply to your jobsite. A competent person must inspect every excavation before workers enter it.
Competent Person
OSHA 1926.651, Specific excavation requirements, requires that a competent person inspect excavations for:
- Possible cave-ins,
- Failure of protective systems,
- Hazardous atmospheres, or
- Other hazardous conditions.
This inspection must be completed before the start of work and as needed throughout the shift. For example, if it rains during the shift, the excavation should be reinspected for possible cave-ins or failure of protective systems. Have your workers evacuate from the excavation before reinspecting it. If you’re digging where utilities may be located, check your local jurisdiction’s utility-notification system.
Utility Notification
Every state has a utility-notification system or hotline that contractors use to notify utility and facility owners about their upcoming work. Contractors must follow the utility owner’s safety protocols while digging near their utilities, and structures, or while performing underground construction.
Facility owners respond to a contractor’s request by marking their utilities and structures on the right-of-way or the jobsite. The contractor uses these ground markings, and any available survey maps to verify the utility’s and structure’s locations.
Need more information about keeping your operators safe while excavating in the tolerance zone? See our ezExplanation for Rollover Protective Structures. |
If any utility is within the contractor’s excavation pathway, workers must verify its exact location first. When the utility is underground, this can be hazardous because the contractor must rely on ground markings and survey maps to pinpoint the precise location of the utility, and those aren’t always correct. Crews should use ground-penetrating radar devices to aid their locating efforts.
Hand Digging
Workers must hand dig down to the utility and verify its exact location before using any mechanical means in the tolerance zone. Once the utility is found, workers must verify its depth, size, condition, and any sharp bends or turns it makes to avoid contacting it later with mechanized equipment.
Workers cannot use mechanical means while digging over the utility or within its tolerance zone. The tolerance zone is the width of the utility plus a specified distance from the outer edge, which varies in each state. In Michigan, for instance, this distance is 18 inches. For a 6 feet wide duct bank, workers cannot use any mechanical equipment within 4 ½ feet from the utility’s centerline.
Mechanical Means
Workers can use mechanical means outside the tolerance zone. Still, they should angle their excavation cuts cautiously so dirt from the tolerance zone slides into the excavated area. This will minimize the amount of hand digging that’s needed. Like concrete and asphalt, hard surfaces should be cut into smaller pieces using a saw. Workers can pry up and remove these pieces to expose the softer ground below the hard surface.
Workers can use a digging spade in the tolerance zone, but they must avoid contacting the utility while using one. Some states allow workers to use mechanical means to remove the hard surface, but they must be careful. Instead of being buried below, the utility could be in the sidewalk’s or roadway’s gravel base. This is common with older utilities installed before modern building codes took effect nationwide.
Key to Remember
Workers must not use mechanical means while digging in a utility’s tolerance zone. Instead, they must hand dig down to the utility to verify its exact location before using any mechanical means to dig within the tolerance zone. A competent person must inspect excavations before workers enter them to perform work activities.